Baciami
by kittenboyandhisbowties
Summary: "Baciami, amore mio." He whispered, hands on her face. "What does that mean?" She asked, fingers caressing his wrist. "Kiss me, my love." His lips met hers, warm and soft, igniting a fire within. There was no doubt in her mind that she loved this man. Yes, she, Charlotte King, was madly, desperately in love with Nicholas Sorrentino.
1. Prologue

**A/N:** Bitten has become like a drug to me. Though I've watched the entire show and read the first book of the series it's based off of, I will be sticking primarily to the tv storyline. The lack of fanfictions makes me kind of sad, so I decided to contribute with my own... This is a Nick x OC story.

**_Summary:_**Charlotte King, she goes by Charlie, was a few hairs short of a miracle. She was born a werewolf, something that should be impossible for women. In fact, there is only one other female werewolf in existence. When Charlie's father sends her off to Stonehaven, she isn't sure why. She hasn't seen her dad in almost two years. The answer seems clear to her a month after her arrival at Stonehaven. Something big is happening, something dangerous. As she fights to protect her new friends, something kindles between her and pack mate, Nick Sorrentino. Can it survive the oncoming storm?

_Disclaimer: I do not own BITTEN or any of it's affiliates. The only thing that belongs to me is the characters Charlotte and Alexander King, and anything else unrecognizable._

***I would also like everyone to know that while Charlie was born a werewolf, she does not have anything extra- no hidden powers, etc. She is literally just like all the other werewolves, only she has a vagina.***

ENJOY!

* * *

Charlotte King was, to those who had met her, a peculiar girl. Both in looks and in personality, she didn't seem like the average 24 year old woman. What the people who'd met Charlotte didn't know, was that she as far from average.

Born to a man by the name of Alexander King, and a woman named Julia, Charlotte was raised by her father in seclusion. Their quaint Minnesotan cottage called for little visitors, which was exactly was her father wanted. His daughter, Charlotte, was different—special. She was a werewolf—born, not bitten. It was supposed to be impossible, either way. But, Alexander knew that if word got out that he'd fathered a daughter that smelled of werewolf, it would not end pretty, so he contacted the one man he knew would keep his secret, and he fled.

Alexander raised Charlotte to be quiet and strong, intelligent and fast. From the time she was old enough to menstruate, Alexander had her involved in sports and strength training, all the while hoping and praying that his beloved daughter would make it through her first transformation. It was on the eve of Charlotte's 17th birthday that his prayers were answered. Charlotte survived her first change, marking her as the first female to ever become a werewolf.

* * *

A year and a half later, when Charlotte set out to begin her future, Alexander sent her with an envelope he instructed her not to open until it was time. Alexander watched her drive off proud, but utterly terrified of sending her off into the world. He knew of the mutts running in the country, he could only hope his sweet Charlotte could avoid them.

Six years later, Charlotte—she goes by Charlie now—King slid the last box into the back of her truck and slid the protective cover back in place. She pulled the tattered envelope from her bag and slid into the cab of the truck. Four years of school getting a bogus History degree because it interested her, and two years of working at bars and restaurants paying off student loans had left her exhausted.

She'd received a text message from her father just three days prior. _It's time_. Two words, that was it. After getting over the shock of the message, Charlie remembered the letter she had tucked away in the glove compartment when she'd left home all those years ago.

Her hands shake has she opens the envelope again, pulling out the paper from inside.

_Stonehaven_

_Bear Valley, New York. _

_You will find a home and a family. Trust Jeremy._

Fifteen words, three lines. She knew her father was being vague for a reason, the reason was, however, unknown to her. Charlie sighed as the slid the key into the ignition and turned the engine over, starting the truck. She reached over to punch in the address into her GPS system. As she straightened and pulled on her seat-belt, she closed her eyes and prepared for the long journey ahead of her.

* * *

**A/N:** If anyone wants to know, Charlie's face character is Natalie Portman. Also, if you could be a doll and leave a review, that would be fabulous. I'm writing this as i go, so input would be lovely.


	2. Home

**A/N:** So, here's the first real chapter of Baciami. In this chapter we learn a little bit about Charlie's background.

_Usual disclaimer... I do not own Bitten or any of it's affiliates. I do however, own Charlie._

P.S. this isn't beta'd... so if you see any big mistakes, let me know and I'll try to fix them (: ENJOY

* * *

Charlie didn't know what to expect when she got to Bear Valley. It was larger than she'd imagined, though not by much. She made it through town without much of a fuss, following the road until she finally reached her turn off. She took a deep breath and turned, not totally prepared to seal her fate. As she slowed to a stop near the house, her mouth dropped. She could vaguely remember her father telling her stories about the place he grew up, but stories could not do the beautiful old building justice.

Biting her lip softly, Charlie glanced at her reflection in the rear view mirror before opening her door and jumping out of the truck. She knew she probably looked ridiculous, all 5'6 ½ inches of her jumping out of a raised truck. Charlie took a quick spin to analyze her surroundings—a habit she'd picked up in the last eleven months or so. She didn't notice anything too out of the ordinary, and she trusted her father not to send her somewhere that would purposely put her in danger.

Just as she was about to take the first step towards the door, it opened and a man stepped out. He looked to be late twenties/early thirties, with the beginnings of a dark beard growing on his chin.

"You must be Charlotte," The man spoke, his voice carrying authority. "My name is Jeremy. Your father told me you'd be coming." He moved forward and held out his hand. Charlie returned the favor, noticing the man's strong, but reassuring grip.

Charlie smiled. "Of course he did. Glad he told one of us." She grumbled. Jeremy just smiled.

"I'm sure he meant well, Charlotte. Do you prefer Charlotte, or do you go by another name?"

"Charlie if you will," Charlie replied. "Did my dad give you any reasoning as to why I'm here? Because he didn't give me a reason."

Jeremy just smiled again. "Unfortunately, all your father did was send me a text message informing me you were on your way here. Why don't you come inside? My son Clayton should be home soon. He'll help you with your bags."

Charlie followed him into the house. Although, the term house was used loosely in this context. The old stone building was more like an estate than any house she'd ever seen. It was beautiful, none the less. Everywhere she looked, Charlie found something different. From animal furs to ancient relics, there seemed to be something from every corner of the globe.

"You have a beautiful home. Do you collect these artifacts?" Charlie inquired as she followed the man into the kitchen.

"My son, Clayton works as an anthropologist and travels from time to time. When he goes, he usually brings something back for the house." Jeremy replied, filling a mug with hot water. "Tea?"

Charlie nodded and took the cup, and a tea bag full of earl gray. "Thank you. This is my first time meeting another werewolf, did you know that?"

Jeremy hid his smile behind his mug. "Your father cares for you deeply, Charlie. There is a reason he took you so far away from the pack."

Charlie nodded her agreement. "Yes. He told me many times before I left home. 'Stay clear of the Mutts Charlotte, they won't bring you anything but pain,' my father's worry is wise. I've been around men for long enough to know this."

Jeremy laid a comforting hand on Charlie's shoulder. "I want you to know, Charlie, that while you're here no harm will come to you. I can promise you that."

Charlie let her hand move to rest briefly against his. "I know. My father would not have sent me here otherwise."

"You're a very wise girl, Charlotte King," Jeremy observed. As he spoke, the sound of tires turning onto the drive signaled the arrival of someone. "Clay must be home."

Jeremy set his mug on the counter, Charlie copying him, and the two made their way out of the house to greet Jeremy's son. It was obvious to Charlie the moment she first saw Clayton Danvers that he was not biologically related to Jeremy. He was large and bulky, 90% muscle and 10% scary. There was something about him though, that Charlie recognized in herself.

Charlie leaned against a pillar and looked away as father greeted son in a warm embrace. It had been a little over two years since Charlie had been face to face with her father. The scene before her darkened her mood slightly. She missed her father, but she could not face him. No, not after what happened.

"Who's she?" A rough voice asked. Charlie looked up to see Clayton pointing at her.

"Clay this is Charlie King, Charlie this is my son, Clayton." Jeremy introduced. Clay stared at Charlie.

"You'll have to catch me up, Jeremy. I thought Elena was the only female werewolf in existence?"

Jeremy gave a tight smile. "Why don't we take this meeting into the study?" He suggested, resting a light hand on Charlie's back to steer her in the right direction. Once the three were seated, Clay making sure he was facing opposite of Charlie just in case she tried something, Jeremy began to explain things.

"Charlie comes from a long line of wolves. In fact, the Kings go almost as far back as the Danvers and Sorrentinos," Jeremy began, looking at Clay. "It was always assumed that daughters could not be born with the gene, but no one ever attempted to, um, mate with the daughter of a pack member. In Charlie's case, her father-" Charlie cut him off with a look of disgust.

"Jeremy, I really mean no disrespect when I say this, but can we please skip the part where my dad did the deed with my mom."

Jeremy chuckled. "Of course Charlie, anyway, Charlie's mother was the daughter of a pack member. I will not say who for the sake of all parties involved. Charlie's father was preparing to give his daughter and his love up when she was born. Alexander King was unaware that his daughter carried the wolf gene until she was born."

"He could smell it on me, clear as day." Charlie continued. "From what I've recently discovered, Jeremy was the only person my father told about me. After my birth he fled to our home where he raised me. I had my first change when I turned 17."

Clay seemed to accept the story with a slight nod of the head. "So, if your father wanted to keep you protected from us, why are you here then?"

Charlie accepted the snappy comment for what it was—a good question. A question she did not know the answer to. "To be honest," She sighed. "I have no idea. When I left home for college, my father gave me an envelope with the instructions not to open it until it was time. A few days ago he texted me saying it was time. That is all I know."

Jeremy nodded in agreement. "Yes, Alexander was vague when he informed me as well. It must be important, why he wanted her here, or he wouldn't have sent her."

"Okay." Clay confirmed; his tone short but firm. He took a moment to size the woman up. She was a small thing, for a werewolf. He didn't have much to go on, but Elena had at least four inches on her. Her features were soft, with a slightly angular shape. The wolf in him knew that she was someone he was supposed to protect. He didn't know why, but his wolf felt so strongly on the matter, there wasn't any room for human rationality to argue.

Jeremy stood up, glancing at the clock. "I've put her in the room next to Elena's, Clay. Why don't you go with Charlie to retrieve her belongings while I get started on supper? How do burgers sound?"

Clay and Charlie gave identical nods of approval as they headed out the door. Jeremy watched them go with a smile before walking to the kitchen to begin preparing the meal.

* * *

"You really don't know why your father sent you here?" Clay asked Charlie as he lugged a trunk out of the bed of her truck. His lips twitched with a smirk as he watched the seemingly tiny woman shoulder two over-sized duffle bags.

"Nope. I swear, 24 years with that man and you'd think he could be a little less cryptic. I should have known better. Dad always taught me to keep my life packed up so I could leave at a moment's notice if need be." Charlie explained as she followed Clay up the stairs and into a bedroom.

The room looked like something out of a vintage magazine. The walls were faded, exposed brick, the bed in the southeast corner of the room. A door leading into a closet sat opposite the bed, and two large windows looked out at the gorgeous property.

As Charlie set her bags on the floor in the middle of the room, she was already making plans to hang white gossamer lined with fairy lights around the bed. She could really see herself loving it here. To her, the best part was that the window to the far left provided easy access to the roof. Charlie was a closet roof sitter, something she wasn't ashamed of admitting if someone asked her about it.

"Is there anything else you need help carrying up the stairs?" Clay asked after a few minutes of watching Charlie twirl circles around the room.

"If you'd be a doll and carry my shoe trolley up, that would be lovely." Charlie answered. Clay was out the door and heading for the stairs before she even finished. As his mind registered exactly what she said, he paused and turned to give her a curious look.

"You have a shoe…trolley?" Charlie had to smile. The words sounded foreign in the man's mouth. His slight southern twang making the already strange words to him sound even stranger.

"All respectable women do." Charlie attempted to keep her face serious. "I'm kidding. I do have a shoe trolley, but that's because I have a weakness…. And I keep things other than shoes in there as well."

Clay just shrugged and continued on down the stairs. Charlie's grin was still present on her face when the pair made it back to her truck. Clay grabbed the shoe trolley—okay, so it was more like a trunk with wheels—and she grabbed the blue bin that she kept her baking supplies in.

When the pair returned downstairs after dumping the second load in Charlie's room, Jeremy was just putting the burgers on the grill. Charlie could smell that he had also cooked up some roasted veggies and mashed potatoes. She mentally cringed at all the cholesterol these men were taking in. Yes, she knew that they were werewolves, but things like a heart attack could still kill them.

Later, as the three cleaned up from their meal, Charlie asked the question she'd been holding in. "So, do you guys ever eat salads or anything?" Clay snorted and Jeremy let out a chuckle.

"I'm afraid that when it's just the pair of us, healthy eating gets thrown out the window. Neither of us are particularly skilled in the culinary arts." Jeremy confessed.

"Lucky for you," Charlie began as she dried the final plate and slid it into the cupboard. "My culinary skills fall into the categories of healthy food, baked goods, and mixed drinks."

"Well, I for one am looking forward to a little healthy food, so long as I can pair it with some juicy meat." Jeremy confessed.

Charlie laughed. "A well balanced diet is good for the soul." She stifled a yawn and looked at the clock. Eight-fifteen. She was turning into an old woman—exhausted and ready for bed at quarter passed eight.

Jeremy noticed and hid his smile. "I think I might turn in early tonight. I know I've had a long, exciting day."

Charlie nodded and muttered a quiet _oh, screw it_. "Me too—I can at least get a little unpacking done. I should warn you though. I have a very hard time sleeping passed three in the morning. Most days I'll occupy myself with a two legged run, but I tend to be an insomniatic baker."

"Good to know. You won't bother us, though." Jeremy assured her. The three bid adieux and went their separate ways for bed.

As Charlie roamed around her room, trying to find a place for everything, she couldn't help but notice the way her entire body felt settled, relaxed. It took everything she had in her to actually change into some pajamas and crawl under the covers. As she began to doze, she noted that the sheets definitely needed a wash, but that was a problem for another day.

* * *

During the weeks that followed Charlie's arrival, she spent most of her days trying to instill healthy eating habits on the two men living with her, all the while screwing up her progress as she spent almost every morning baking until the sun rose.

She and Clay had come to a silent agreement. He would protect her from everything that ever tried to harm her physically, and she'd return the favor mentally. It worked out well for both of them—mostly because neither of them were in any real danger.

As each day passed, Jeremy noticed the bond that began to grow between the two. It wasn't anywhere near romantic, but a slowly strengthening bond between siblings. It was something beautiful. It was completely different than the bond Clay shared with his pack brothers—it was almost pure.

* * *

Clay knew she was hiding some kind of emotional turmoil from him and Jeremy. He'd caught a glimpse of a horrible scar one evening after a run, but when he'd confronted her about it, she clammed up. Then there was the insomnia. He knew that every morning at around the same time, she'd begin to wake up, and her heart would begin to pound with fear. Around fifteen minutes later, he'd hear her get up to pull her running gear on. He wasn't sure what, or who, had hurt her, but knew that they would never have the opportunity to try again.

* * *

Everything was calm, quiet and happy. Until it wasn't.

* * *

**A/N:** DUN DUN DUUUUUN! No, but the next chapter will start at the beginning of the Pilot episode... (well, not the beginning, beginning. There will be no ElenaXPhillip sexy times in this story...) _whispers...but there might be some CharlieXNick ones..._


	3. Heart

**A/N: **Wow, okay, sorry it took me so long to update. This past weekend was my graduation party, so it's been pretty crazy. I would like to say a HUGE thank you to those that have Favorited/followed/reviewed this story. Your support is incredibly inspiring and I look forward to hearing more from you.

So, here's the next installment. In this chapter, Charlie meets Nick and Antonio, and we find out a little bit more of Charlie's past.

_**disclaimer: Bitten and all of it's affiliates belong to Kelly Armstrong and whoever it was that produced the TV show. I only own the unfamiliar._

* * *

Charlie knew something was up when she woke up. When she first glanced at the clock, she had to do a double take. It had been a long time since she'd managed to sleep passed three a.m. but here she was, still in bed at quarter to nine. Charlie groaned and sat up, regretting the movement immediately when her head began to pound.

The longer she sat there, the more she could feel her sickness. Whatever it was that was hitting her, it was hitting her hard. Her skin felt clammy, but she felt like she was on fire, and her head and stomach seemed to be revolting against her. It took her much longer than necessary to apply some deodorant, use the bathroom, and make her way downstairs to make some toast.

After she'd finished her depressing breakfast, she wandered the house, trying to find where Jeremy was. She found him in his study, finishing up a phone call. He gave her a small, tight smile when she entered the room.

"We have a problem," Jeremy began, rubbing a hand over his face. "A woman has been killed by a Mutt near the property."

Charlie gasped. Though she'd never personally come in contact with a Mutt, she knew that they were a vicious people. Her father had told warned her many times that the Mutts were not afraid to kill. The knowledge that there was one so close to Bear Valley was frightening.

"Do you know who it is?" She asked, rubbing circles against her temples. Her head was still pounding, though the pain had lessened slightly with breakfast.

Jeremy shook his head. "Unfortunately, this is not a scent I recognize. I've called the pack home in hopes that we can deal with this issue has a pack."

Charlie nodded her head and wrapped her arms around herself. It must be serious if he'd called the pack home. From what Clay had explained to her, they all got together for major holidays and birthdays, but for the most part, everyone did their own thing.

"Is there anything you need me to do?" Charlie asked.

"You'd be doing be a great service if you went and opened the windows in the bedrooms, to air them out." Jeremy replied. Charlie nodded and turned to leave.

"If there's anything else you need me to do, just let me know." As she left the study she decided that she would change the bed sheets as well as open the windows. Over the years she'd developed her own laundry detergent that would just barely give off a breezy smell to a werewolf. It wasn't so extreme that it affected the senses, but it smelled nice, clean.

Dumping a cup full of the detergent into the washer, Charlie made her way upstairs to start opening windows. She always tried to stay out of the other bedrooms because it felt like an invasion of privacy to her, going into another person's sleeping quarters when they weren't home, but as she opened the first door she was met with a slightly musty smell, indicating the room hadn't been used in some time. After opening the windows, she stripped the bed of its sheets and threw them in the hallway.

Two hours later, Charlie found herself smoothing the last sheet in place, and folding the old, now clean, sheets to put back in the linen closet. She pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail and went downstairs to start making lunch. Charlie's stomach had finally calmed down after her breakfast, and she was starving.

Unfortunately for her, and Jeremy, there was not much left in the kitchen in terms of food. Jeremy had been on his way into town to get groceries this morning when he'd come across the dead woman, so he never made it into town. Charlie found her aha moment in the back of the pantry in the form of soft tortilla shells. Lunch was going to be quick and easy—build your own wrap.

While the grilled chicken from last night's meal was re-heating in the microwave, Charlie chopped the last of the veggies. She was just putting the last of the food on the table when she heard the front door open. Though her nose wasn't working the way it usually was, the sound of the footsteps indicated that Clay had come home.

He'd been guest lecturing at a university in Upstate New York, and after his final lecture of the week, Jeremy had called him home.

The three werewolves gathered around the table and began to fill their plates. Charlie slathered her tortilla with a mayo/mustard/ranch dressing mix, spread a healthy amount of mixed veggies around, and topped it with a few strips of chicken. After she'd rolled the shell, she glanced at Clay and Jeremy—both seemed to be making an effort to put veggies on their wraps, but both had large amounts of meat as well. After Jeremy took his first bite and nodded, Clay and Charlie dug in. There wasn't much talking between the three as they ate, their focus on the food in front of them.

After their meal was complete and all dishes were put away, Charlie excused herself to go shower. She figured a shower might help to ease her headache slightly. She figured it wouldn't make sense for her to change into an outfit for the day when it was already half over and she had zero ambition, so she grabbed a comfy pair of shorts and a slightly baggy t-shirt.

She stepped into the bathroom and turned the lock. While Clay had no qualms about breaking locks, the lock on the bathroom and the lock on Elena's door were said to be the only locks he wouldn't break. When Charlie first arrived at Stonehaven, she'd forgotten to lock the door. She'd been mid strip when Clay had walked in, stared at her naked chest (probably the scar, if Charlie was being honest with herself) for what felt like five minutes, muttered a gruff apology, and left. After the incredibly awkward situation, she always made sure the door was locked before undressing for her shower.

When the water was at an acceptable temperature, Charlie got in. The hot water felt good against her skin, and she let herself sink in the feeling of the warmth. She'd always loved showers, and didn't think there was anything that could compare to how relaxing a shower could be.

She took her time washing her hair. Massaging shampoo into her scalp the way she'd learned from her college roommate. While it didn't beat going to the salon to get your hair washed, it was a close second. Charlie had always hated that she couldn't use scented soaps. It was probably the number one downside to heightened senses. She could remember what it was like in the years before her change, when she used the peach scented shampoo like it was a drug.

When she stepped out of the shower, she toweled off and wrapped her hair in a towel. She dressed quickly, struggling to pull her sports bra down her damp skin. After dressing, she brushed her teeth quickly then walked back to her room. Her head was still bugging her, so she switched out her contacts for her glasses. After applying deodorant, she removed the towel from her hair and combed through the damp tresses.

Charlie quickly braided her hair back in a loose french braid. Once she was satisfied, Charlie hung her towel over the chair in the corner and slipped on some socks. She figured it wouldn't hurt to try and convince Jeremy to let her go grocery shopping.

"You know, if the whole pack is coming to Stonehaven, we're going to need more food in that kitchen than a loaf of bread and some uncooked pork." Charlie hinted, leaning against the door of the study.

"Are you trying to say something, Charlie?" Jeremy asked.

"I'm just saying that someone has to get groceries, and it's not going to be Clay because all he's been doing since lunch is mope because Elena hasn't called you back yet. So, it's either your or me." Okay, so maybe she could have said it a little nicer, but Charlie felt like her entire head was going to explode.

Jeremy sighed. "If I let you go, promise me you'll leave the second you smell something." Charlie nodded her agreement. "The list is on the fridge, just put the bill on my tab."

Charlie ran up to her room to grab her keys and purse, stopping to grab the list from the fridge.

"Is there anything else you need?" Charlie asked Jeremy as she was leaving. He shook his head no.

As she walked out to her truck, Charlie looked up at the sky. It was going on 5 o'clock, but the sun was still shining brightly. Stepping up into the cab, she threw her purse onto the passenger seat. She cranked the engine and turned the radio on to the mixed cd she'd made years ago when she left for school.

* * *

The Bear Valley Grocery was a peculiar place. Everything seemed backwards to Charlie. It took her almost five minutes of wandering to find the milk. After spending the better part of an hour and a half, Charlie almost forgot to pick up the cold&sinus medication she wanted to buy. As she strolled the medicine isle, she kept her ears turned to any sort of gossip that might be going about the dead woman.

"…Jennifer Sikie said she was talking to some guy last night, before she left. Said he looked to be mid-twenties with brown hair cropped close. As she was leaving, I guess he warned her to 'be careful out there'."

"…It's such a shame. I didn't know there were any wolves in the area.."

The whispers died down as Charlie got closer. She picked up the medicine she wanted and turned, steering her loaded cart. She made one last stop at the coolers to pick up a bottle of Lemon-Lime Gatorade before going to the counter.

After she loaded the groceries into the bed of the truck, Charlie swallowed the directed amount of pills and started her drive home.

* * *

Forty-five minutes after Charlie left, Jeremy made his way down to the basement. He was about a fourth of the way through Mutt records when the familiar scents of his long-time friend, Antonio Sorrentino, and Antonio's son, Nick, wafted down the stairs. He set down the paper in his hand and smiled when his friends came into view.

After hugs and exchanged greetings, Jeremy explained the problem. "This isn't a Mutt I've smelled before. He's killed on our territory."

"A Mutt hasn't come this close to Pack territory in years." Antonio replied.

"Maybe if I had been a little less-"Jeremy began, but was interrupted by the sound of a truck pulling into the yard.

"Are you expecting company?" Antonio asked, not recognizing the vehicle.

"Not exactly." Clay responded. Antonio and Nick gave him a look that read 'explain'.

"We have a new pack member." Jeremy clarified.

Clay nodded. "Charlie's been with us for a little over a month now."

* * *

Charlie's nose barely registered the smell of the unfamiliar werewolves in the house when she carried the first load of groceries into the kitchen. Her ears didn't even register the sound of footsteps coming up the basement stairs as she was putting the groceries away.

She was stretching to put a box of pasta on a shelf in the pantry when someone spoke. "Need any help with that, Charlie?"

She's not proud to admit it, but Charlie screamed. It honestly felt like her heard had stopped momentarily, and she almost dropped the box.

"Jesus, Clayton. Don't do that to me." Charlie said, turning around. She stopped short when she noticed the two unfamiliar men standing in the entry to the kitchen with Jeremy. "well, this is awkward."

"Charlie, this is Antonio Sorrentino and his son, Nick. Tonio, Nick, this is Charlie King."

Charlie smiled at the two men. It was blatantly obvious they were father and son. Nick looked so much like his father, it was uncanny. She couldn't help but admit that both men were incredibly attractive.

The phone rang before anyone could reply. Clay was out of the kitchen and in the study in a matter of moments. Jeremy and Antonio followed him, leaving Charlie in the kitchen with Nick.

"Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?" Nick asked.

* * *

How could he have been such an idiot? _Did it hurt when you fell from heaven_? That had to have been the stupidest thing Nick had ever let come out of his mouth. There was something about this woman though, that made him want to say stupid things like that. He only hoped she wouldn't laugh in his face.

"No, but I scraped my knees up pretty bad crawling out of hell." Her words surprised him. Never had a woman responded to a come on from him so quickly. As she returned to putting away groceries, Nick studied her.

She was beautiful; he would be lying if he said she wasn't. She looked to be of average height for a woman, but had subtle curves. Even in what looked to be lazy clothes, she was stunning. As she turned towards the fridge to put something away, Nick caught a glimpse of a tattoo running along her ear.

"Nice ink." He acknowledged. Charlie ran a finger along her ear and smiled. It was radiant.

"Thank you. Would you mind putting these in the pantry for me?" Charlie gestured to a bag of boxes.

* * *

If she was being completely honest, Charlie asked Nick to put the pasta away for the sole purpose of admiring him. She'd never been this obviously attracted to a person before, and she felt kind of ridiculous. The first time he'd spoken to her, he'd given her a lame pick up line. And then, she'd stupidly replied in the usual snarky way she'd talk to the drunk patrons of the bar she used to work at.

"Is Charlie short for anything?" Nick's voice cut through the silence. He turned and their eyes made contact, hazel meeting brown.

"Charlotte, actually, but if you call me Charlotte I may have to kill you." Charlie joked. Nick laughed.

"Understood."

When Nick and Charlie had finished putting away the groceries, Charlie took the time to yell at Clay for answering the phone.

"You really are an idiot, did you know that?" She asked him. Clay let out a wolfy growl. "Oh, honestly Clayton, you know I'm right."

"I didn't think she'd hang up.." He mumbled. Charlie rubbed her temples. While she knew Clay loved the other female werewolf, Elena, he was a man, and he was utterly clueless.

"_Didn't think she'd_- look, I've never actually met her, but from what you've told me, she holds some serious resentment towards you. While I do not know if that resentment is called for, I do know that resentment is a dangerous thing. Sometimes, it's better for you and her if she can pretend that the issues don't exist.

"If you'd let Jeremy answer the phone, and listened, because we all know you would have, there is a large possibility you could be seeing her soon. Now, however, you'll be lucky if she makes contact again." Charlie ranted. Clay's face, usually impassive, slowly started to crumble.

"Look Clay," She sighed, resting her hand on his shoulder. "One screw up doesn't have to end everything. You have to stay positive. All you can do is hope that she makes the decision to come home. And if she does come back, you have to realize that it might not be for you, or even for her, but for the pack."

After her talk with Clay, Charlie excused herself to turn in early. She'd had a long day, and her mind and body felt like there wasn't any juice left in her body to keep going.

* * *

After Charlie had gone to bed, the four men sat in the study, nursing glasses of scotch.

"What's her story?" Antonio asked.

"You remember, way back when Alexander King was expecting a baby with Julia. He'd always known it was a girl, but he swore he'd stay with Julia through the pregnancy. What no one knew was that when Julia gave birth, she gave birth to a little girl that smelled like werewolf. Alexander told everyone that Julia and the little girl had both died during the birth—which was partially true, Julia did pass, but she lived long enough to name her daughter Charlotte. For her protection, Alexander took her away from werewolf society, but he stayed pack." Jeremy explained what he knew of the story.

"My god, seeing her was like a blast from the past." Antonio sighed, spinning his glass in his hands. "She's the spitting image of Julia, isn't she?"

"Wait, who's Julia?" Clay asked. Nick continued the silence he'd been holding since Charlie went to bed.

"My sister, and Charlie's mother." Jeremy replied.

* * *

Nick lay in his bed, drowning in a smell he couldn't put his finger on. It was wonderful, and delicate. He couldn't stop thinking of what Jeremy had said. It wasn't supposed to be possible for women to be born werewolves, and he wanted to know just what it was that made Charlie King so special.

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, so the end (more like the second half) isn't my best writing, but with the crazy weekend, I kind of lost my thought/plot train. I never really had a set scene in my head for how Nick and Charlie were going to meet, and while I'm not 100% happy with it, I do like it. I like that they were both a little awkward about it, because while we all know that Nick isn't shy, he's never really met someone he was attracted to in the same sense as he is to Charlie.

It would mean a super lot to me if you reviewed! And let me know of any little plot bunnies you have. I'd love some ideas!


	4. Flirt

**A/N: **So, here's the next installment. It's the longest chapter yet, coming in at 4,421 words, and i think just about 12 pages long. Um, I think this might be about average length for episode chapters, though.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Bitten or any of it's affiliates. Anything unfamiliar belongs to me._

* * *

The first time Charlie met Pete it was during one of her early morning baking sessions. She'd been standing at the counter, her back to the doorway, when he approached.

Charlie would never say it out loud to anyone, but the growing number of men at Stonehaven made her anxious. While she recognized that these men would rather cut off their own hands than purposely harm a woman, there was a small part of her that worried.

"You must be Charlie." The voice startled her. In the two full days the Sorrentinos had been at Stonehaven, they seemed to ignore her late night habits, and Jeremy and Clay were so used to them that they weren't even fazed anymore.

She ran a shaky hand through her hair and turned to face the voice. He was ginger, slightly above average height for most men, and dressed in a band tee.

"And you must be Pete." She replied, letting a smile tug at her lips. "I'm sorry if I woke you. I forget that some people aren't as heavy of sleepers as Jeremy and Clay."

Pete just shook his head. "Don't worry about it sweetheart. I'm a bit of a night owl myself…" his voice trailed off. "Care for some company?"

Charlie shrugged. "I don't mind if you're down here. Do you mind if I put you to work, though?"

"Not at all. What are we making?"

Charlie smirked. No one had ever out right asked her what exactly it was they were making, but if the man was going to help, then he'd probably end up reading the directions at some point. "Caramel apple better than sex cake."

"Ooh, sounds exciting."

The two worked in general silence for a while. Charlie had put Pete on apple chopping duty while she made the cake batter. When the apples were chopped (and mixed with the batter), the mixture was popped in the oven to bake.

"So, what's the deal with the late night cooking sessions?" Pete asked, breaking the silence.

Charlie paused, debating whether she was going to answer or not. She'd never really told anyone the reasons she had so much trouble sleeping.

"I guess, it all kind of stems from when I was a kid," She explained. "My dad started training me when I was twelve, and then I went into high school. I joined three sports, was in a ton of academics, and had martial arts three days a week. Between all that and studying I never really had time for sleep.

"Not much changed about that during college either. I worked nights at a bar a few blocks from campus for about five years. And now, it's mostly a mix of sleep paralysis and anxiety." Charlie bit her lip. "I've never actually told anyone that I have sleep paralysis, so I'd appreciate it if we kept that between us."

"No problem." Pete assured. "I try not to judge people."

"Thanks." Charlie said softly. "You know, there was once a time when I could go for a run during this time. Clay told me if I even thought of going out at night by myself he'd personally skin me. Normally, I'd think the person was joking, but with Clay you never know."

The timer went off on the oven, signaling the thirty minute wait was over. Charlie was surprised the time had passed so quickly. After putting Pete to work whipping up the creamcheese frosting, and poking holes in the cake, Charlie set to melting caramel and sweetened condensed milk in a sauce pan. Once the caramel mixture was sufficiently melted, Charlie poured the mixture over the cake. Making sure not to drown the mixture, Charlie kept the left overs to drizzle over the frosting.

After frosting and drizzling the cake, Charlie covered it and took a seat at the table in the middle of the room. She and Pete talked until the sun came up. They didn't really talk about anything in particular, they just talked. At around 7, they began to hear the first signs of movement in the house. Charlie deemed it to be sufficiently light enough, so she excused herself to go for a run.

"If Clay gets up before I'm back, please inform him that I am literally running to the gate and back. Twice." Pete nodded his affirmative and Charlie went up to her room to change.

She noticed nothing out of the ordinary when she was out running—no strange smells or anything. She tried to prolong going back in the house as long as possible. In the two days Nick Sorrentino had been at Stonehaven, he'd managed to completely screw up her head, all the while firing cheesy pick-up lines and innuendos at her every chance he got.

She was also nervous about meeting Elena. Clay placed her on a pedestal, and there was something about meeting the only other person like you that was intimidating to Charlie. Her fears were for not though, because when she entered the house after her run, it appeared that Elena was not up yet. It must have been her lucky day, because Nick wasn't in the kitchen either when she walked in to get a glass of water.

Jeremy smiled at her from his place flipping pancakes. "Clay isn't going to be happy when he finds out you went out by yourself this morning." While his tone was kept light, Charlie knew that Clay wasn't the only one upset about her run.

She sighed and downed her water. "Okay, I get it. Running by myself this morning was dangerous. But in my defense, it really was a very human run, and I only ran the length of the driveway. I'm not promising I won't do it again, but I will promise not to do it while no one else is awake."

"Fair enough." Jeremy agreed. "Though I don't understand why running with the pack isn't enough for you."

Charlie smiled. "I was running long before I had my first change. It was always an escape I used to keep in touch with my human side. Plus, running when I was younger was always so awkward. I mean, there's a difference between your father changing your diapers to your father seeing you naked at 17.

"Don't get me wrong, I love to run as a wolf. But when my friends asked me what I did over the weekend, I couldn't exactly say 'Oh, ya know, I got naked with my dad and went for a run through the forest..'."

Though she was excited for breakfast—Antonio was manning the grill, which meant hoards of meats, and pancakes from Jeremy—Charlie really wanted a pepper. It was a weird quirk she had developed when she was young. She'd chop a pepper, usually a jalapeño, and either eat it in strips, or dice it and mix it with her salad.

Because it was breakfast time, and she would be teased mercilessly if she ate a salad, Charlie decided she'd just eat the pepper whole, like she would an apple. As she washed the vegetable, she listened to Jeremy and Antonio barter back and forth while they put food on the table.

They were blessed with the presence of Pete and Nick just as Charlie was taking a bite of her pepper.

"What are you _doing_?" Pete questioned. Charlie chewed and swallowed.

"Eating a pepper, what does it look like?"

"You know, sweetheart, I thought we were well on our way to being friends after our bonding session this morning, but I don't think we can be friends anymore." Pete teased. Charlie faked a pout.

"Oh darn, and to think I was going to give you that recipe for the cake we made.." Charlie teased back.

"How do you put up with the weird habits, Jeremy? If it were me, I'd have chained her to the gate weeks ago." Antonio teased, a smile on his face.

"It's like she says, she's good with dessert and alcohol. That's enough to keep her around." Jeremy replied, a grin on his face.

"You ass holes are lucky I'm still letting you eat that cake Pete and I baked last night." Charlie teased back.

Jeremy's face suddenly fell into a very serious expression. "Okay, I'll be nice. Pete was telling us about that cake."

The four of them continued to joke about Charlie's strange habits with Nick watching quietly at his place at the table. He liked the way Charlie and his dad got along. The way she and Pete seemed to take to each other like bread and butter was pretty cool too.

There was an awkward pause when Elena entered the kitchen, followed by Clay. Antonio and Pete offered her hugs and teases, before she was introduced.

"Elena, this is Charlie," Jeremy said softly. Jeremy was visibly different with Elena than he was with the others. He talked to her in a softer, gentler voice, and his body language softened. Charlie figured this had to do with Elena's general dislike of what she was.

"Hi," Charlie said, smiling. "I've heard a lot about you." She stood and held her hand out for Elena to take.

Elena looked at her hand in confusion. "I know, not hugging is a foreign concept around here, but I don't like to be touched, and I've never met you before, so.." Charlie trailed off, glancing at her hand again.

Elena gave a slight smile. "It's nice to meet you. I thought I was the only female though?"

"Trust me sister, so did I." Charlie replied. The two sat next to each other at the table. Pete was on Charlie's left and Elena was on her right.

"I'm starving." Pete muttered. Everyone watched with rapt attention as Jeremy took a bite of his sausage, smiled, and nodded for everyone else to begin eating. Charlie carefully piled her plate with pancakes, breakfast meats, and fruit. She noticed that Elena had taken a smaller portion than everyone else.

"You need to eat and get some meat on those bones." Antonio scolded Elena softly.

Elena shrugged. "I've been trying to get my appetite back to what it was like before I changed." She explained. Pete snorted.

"I tell the guys I tour with that I have an immobile pituitary gland, otherwise with all the food I eat, I'd be reality show huge." Pete told her.

"It's easier when you're a guy." Elena answered. Charlie knew she had a point.

"She's right you know. Being a woman in a society that revolves around looks isn't easy." Charlie said. Elena smiled and nodded.

"So, have you heard from Logan?" Elena asked Jeremy.

He nodded. "He's on his way here. We'll start tonight."

"We don't need to wait, I can track now." Elena argued.

"We can't change in broad daylight, it's too risky. And going out as a human is _not_ an option." Jeremy countered. Charlie suddenly found herself very focused on her breakfast.

"So send the guys with me, I can still track as a human."

"So, is that cake _really_ better than sex?" Pete whispered in Charlie's ear. She grinned and looked at him.

"In my experience, not much is better than sex, but yes, I can truthfully say that the cake is definitely better than sex." Charlie responded, winking.

"See, I don't believe you. You must have had some very unfulfilling bedroom partners if you think a baked good is better than sex." Pete teased. Their bantering caught the attention of Nick.

"What are you two talking about?" He asked, a smile on his face.

"Charlie thinks cake is better than sex." Pete said. Unfortunately for Charlie, he didn't say it very quietly.

"What? Impossible." Nick snarked, smirking.

"I'm only saying that cake doesn't leave you wound up and unsatisfied while it's snoring in bed next to you." Charlie defended.

At some point, both Jeremy and Antonio had left the table, leaving the 'kids' by themselves.

"Oh, honey, I'd never leave you unsatisfied." Nick promised, winking.

Charlie raised an eyebrow. "Prove it." Pete cleared his throat awkwardly.

"As fascinating as watching the two of you and your strange form of foreplay is, can you please not do it at the breakfast table?"

"Fine," Nick complied. "Find me later, sweet stuff, and I'll show you a good time." He winked at Charlie and stood.

"Who's up for a fight?" Nick asked, rubbing his hands together. "Elena?"

"Hey, take it easy on her, she might be out of practice." Pete taunted. Elena's face quickly formed into a hard mask.

"I don't need you to take it easy on me."

"Prove it." Nick taunted. "Back patio, five minutes."

* * *

What was more like twelve minutes later, Nick was attempting to ambush Elena as she walked outside. She was ready for him, though, and the fight seemed to be pretty much even.

After their fight, they teased each other back and forth. Their friendly banter was cut off when Clay walked out.

"Clayton Danvers, spectating on a fight? I'd never thought I'd see the day." Nick taunted his friend.

"I'm not spectating, I'm assessing." Clay explained. Charlie bit her lip to hide her grin. While Nick and Elena had been fighting, she'd been in the corner of the patio, stretching her tired muscles.

"Assessing the ass kicking I'm going to give you?" Nick asked.

"Now why would I humiliate my oldest and dearest friend in front of a beautiful woman he clearly finds attractive?" Clay replied.

"Hey now, Pete may be a woman, but he certainly isn't beautiful." Charlie chimed in.

"Oh, you think so, sweetheart? You and me, after Clay kicks Nick's ass." Pete offered. Charlie grinned and nodded.

"Lucky for you, I don't have a problem with hitting girls." She teased.

"I'm going to shower." Elena muttered.

"Whoa, whoa, don't you wanna see me destroy this guy?" Nick asked.

Clay sighed and pulled is t-shirt over his head.

"Now you done it." Pete shook his head.

Charlie nodded. "Everyone knows shit's about to go down when Clay starts striping."

Nick and Clay's fight was over quickly, ending with Nick's head in his hands.

"Dammit," Nick muttered. "Can't you just let me win once in our lives?"

"That's not in my nature." Clay assured him, letting him go.

"Same thing as we were kids, huh?" Nick asked Clay.

"Nah, this is different," Pete assured him. "This time you didn't piss your pants."

Charlie stretched her arms over her head before pulling off her hoodie.

"Are you sure you and Clay aren't related?" Pete asked her. "The two of you like to strip a lot."

Charlie grinned and threw her hoodie at his head. "See, that's the different between Clay and I. Clay strips because he likes to make others, namely Nick, feel inadequate. I, on the other hand, stripped to pay the bills for about 5 years."

"You'll have to show me sometime." Pete taunted before charging her. Charlie waited until the last possible second before taking a small step to her right. Pete barreled past her and let out a noise of frustration. "Are you going to fight me, or just side step me."

"I just don't want to embarrass you." Charlie shrugged, beckoning for him to come at her again. As he did, she thrust her leg out and wrapped her ankle around his knee, bringing him down. Pete's hand clamped onto her leg as he went, loosening when he thought she was going down with him. Fortunately for Charlie, the years of martial arts her father made her take worked in her favor. She rolled out of the tackle and landed on her feet.

Charlie never really let Pete get his hands on her, because like she'd told Elena earlier, she didn't like to be touched.

* * *

"_It has long been speculated that women are not sufficiently strong enough to survive the change_." Elena whispered, running her fingers over the history book.

"That's the biggest load of bullshit I've ever heard." Charlie commented, leaning against the wall beside Elena. "I mean seriously. Women are strong enough to successfully push a fucking watermelon out of a hole the size of a grape, but we aren't strong enough to be werewolves?"

Elena smiled and turned to Charlie. "I guess I'd never thought of it that way."

"I mean, I totally understand that the change is super hard to do and everything, but I just think that before now,any time they'd try to turn a female they just picked weak ones.

"I don't know if this is true, but with the guys, they have to become a certain age. With women though, I think it's different. I know the change doesn't happen when you become a woman, because shit, I'd have changed when I was twelve. But I do believe it has something to do with womanhood." Charlie ranted. When she was young, she spent her summers learning about werewolf history. She'd had a long time to form the opinions she has.

"You and Clay were engaged when you were turned, right?" Charlie asked. Elena nodded. "I'm going to go right ahead and assume that you weren't a virgin, because even I can admit that Clay's kind of sexy. Anyway, my point is. I changed when I turned 17, but I think it's more than an age thing. I mean, I'd lost my V-card the day before.

"I think, the problem the alpha that tried to change a bunch of women had, was he was changing the wrong kind of women. I'm not saying you and I are a couple of hussies, but we were a different kind of women. Yeah, I think being a werewolf takes a certain amount of strength, and it is hard to find in women, because of the society we live in." Charlie winced, seeing the look of disbelief on Elena's features.

"I'm sorry, sometimes I just ramble." Charlie apologized.

"No, don't worry about it. It was nice to hear a woman's opinion on this whole thing." Elena assured her. "The only thing I don't understand is how you're so accepting of what you are."

Charlie gave Elena a small smile. "It took me a long time to get where I am today. I was in a pretty dark place after my first change. All the mental shit really hit me. My dad and I trained for years so I was prepared for the physical parts, but nothing prepared me for the self-loathing I would feel after my change." She explained.

"Most of it was in my head. I got really self-conscious about my eating habits, and I started to develop anorexia. Luckily for me, a few good talks with my best friend on self-image and self-love really helped to clear the darkness from my mind. I still struggle with it sometimes, if I'm being honest." Charlie confessed. She'd always hated talking about herself.

"Earlier I heard you tell Pete you used to be a stripper." Elena asked. Charlie snorted.

"That was mostly me teasing Nick. Yes, I worked at a bar, and I picked up a few things during my time there, but I would never be a stripper. I have too many issues for that." Charlie told her. "Now, that's enough talking about me. I'll leave you to whatever it was you were doing before I interrupted."

* * *

Later, after the final member of the pack had come home, and been introduced to Charlie, the pack met in the basement to be debriefed.

"A woman has been killed by a Mutt in Bear Valley. Now, we have hunters on the edge of our property. This Mutt needs to be stopped tonight, before anyone else gets killed. Peter and Logan, I want you in West Bear Valley, Antonio and I will take the East. The rest of you I want in the industrial area. You can change if you have to, but obviously discretion is the key." Jeremy gave everyone their orders.

* * *

"So, how do you want to do this?" Nick asked as the four of them rounded the street into the industrial area of town.

"We stic-" Clay began, but Elena interrupted him.

"We split up, meet back here if we don't find anything, and howl if we do." Everyone agreed and went their separate ways. Clay and Nick started to take off their clothes.

"We're changing?" Elena asked.

"We'll cover more ground this way." Clay shrugged. While Charlie secretly agreed it was a smart idea, she didn't love the idea of changing in the middle of town.

"Simple fact is, if we find this Mutt I want to be in wolf form." Nick shrugged. Elena gave him a sharp look.

"You're not going to kill him." She snapped.

"Elena, he murdered someone." Charlie said softly. She'd always hated violence, but she understood that in the efforts of secrecy, it was a part of life.

"And he'll pay." Elena snarled. "But no killing while I'm around."

"Okay," Clay agreed. "Let's run." He and Nick were quick to remove their shirts.

"I'm just gonna.." Elena trailed off awkwardly. She kept her eyes trained at the ground.

"Yeah, me too." Charlie agreed. The two girls ducked into an alley and began undressing. Charlie attempted to keep her back to Elena as she removed her top.

"Is that a _bite_ mark?" Elena asked, pointing to Charlie's chest.

"I don't want to talk about it, Elena. Can you pretend you never saw it, please?" Charlie ground out as she began to change. Once her change was done, she took off, sticking to shadows, but keeping her nose open.

She'd almost circled a block when she heard Elena's howl. She'd located Clay and Elena just as Elena was pulling on a spare change of clothes from a clothes line. Charlie changed back and grabbed a white t-shirt and grey boxers from the line. She pulled them on and entered the grimy looking shack.

"Well, this place is pleasant." She muttered sarcastically.

"This place smells like death." Elena whispered. Charlie nodded in agreement. "How did you find it before me, Clay?"

"I didn't, I followed you." Clay replied. Charlie sighed and continued to wander the shack, avoiding the argument that was surely about to form between Clay and Elena. She looked up when she heard movement only to repress a snort of amusement.

Nick was standing awkwardly in what was obviously a woman's t-shirt and a pair of briefs. "Lookin good, killer." Charlie teased.

Nick shrugged. "What? It's a little East Village, but I'm not putting on that negligee out there."

"The Mutt isn't here." Clay decided. Charlie nodded slowly.

"Wonderful observation, Dr. Watson." Charlie muttered, crouching by the bed.

"Any beat on this scent?" Nick asked, sniffing.

"It's new to me." Elena replied. Charlie looked up to see her three companions looking at her.

"I don't know why you're looking at me. The only werewolf I came in contact with before coming to Stonehaven was my dad, and I can assure you that this is not him." Charlie defended.

"It almost smells newly turned." Elena said. Charlie shrugged. Her hearing was much better than her sense of smell, so she had no idea what Elena was talking about.

"You're telling me you can smell newly turned?" Nick deadpanned.

"I'm telling you the smell's different." Elena replied.

Nick walked over to the other side of the bed and pulled a piece of cardboard from underneath it. Lying on the cardboard was a chunk of scalp with a long section of hair attached to it.

"Oh, that is disgusting." Charlie wrinkled her nose.

"No wonder it smells like death in here." Nick answered.

Elena closed her eyes. "Another killing." She looked at Clay, worry written all over her face.

"Let's get back to Jeremy with this news." Nick suggested. "Unless you want to stay and wait for this Mutt, snap his neck?"

"No, no, no. He might smell us." Clay responded. Elena's look of anguished quickly faded from her features. "Best thing is to change and head home so we can regroup."

Elena crossed her arms over her chest. "Change.. again?"

"Oh, you want us to walk back?" Nick asked. The pair shared a look.

"Right." Elena nodded.

The boys gave Elena and Charlie the bedroom to change. Both of whom changed quickly and met the boys outside.

The four were back at Stonehaven in record time. After relaying the news to Jeremy, Charlie excused herself to go to bed.

* * *

Things at Stonehaven were tense the next morning as they discussed the situation. Elena was quick to inform everyone that she wasn't staying any longer.

Charlie was wandering the halls after breakfast when a hand dashed out of a room and pulled her in. It didn't take much to show her that it was Nick that had ambushed her.

"I don't know how to act around you." He confessed, running a tired hand through his hair. Charlie smiled at his obvious anguish.

"You could try acting like a normal human being?" She replied. His head snapped up and his eyes met hers.

"See, that's the thing though! This is the first real conversation we've had, and I already know that the way I feel isn't something _normal_ human beings feel." Nick explained.

Charlie slid down the wall to the floor. She reached up and grabbed Nick's hand, bringing him down too.

"And what is it that you feel, Mr. Sorrentino?" She asked. She hadn't let go of his hand when he'd sat down, so she lightly brushed her fingers over his knuckles.

"I can't think straight, and I get this feeling in the pit of my stomach." Nick confessed.

Charlie smiled softly. "I'll tell you what, Nicholas. After all this Mutt business is taken care of, I'll help you sort out that _feeling_ in your stomach." With that said, she leaned over and kissed his cheek before standing. As she was about to walk out the door, she turned around and winked at him.

"Maybe if you're a good boy, I'll consider it before the Mutt business is over."

* * *

Charlie wished she could have carried on her blissful cloud for the rest of the day. Having Nick confess that he felt something for her, even if he didn't know what it was, had put her on a cloud. Unfortunately, the rain to her parade had started to fall when Antonio discovered there had been another killing. This time, a child.

* * *

**A/N: **So, there's the end of the chapter. Let me know what you think. Since I haven't really gotten into the Charlie/Nick relationship, I really enjoy writing her developing friendships with other pack members. I hadn't even planned for her and Pete to bond, but it just sort of spoke to me. I'm particularly partial to the flirting that went down between young Mr. Sorrentino and Miss. King.. (:

As usual, let me know if you notice anything blatantly wrong, and I'll try to fix it. (I noticed today as I was watching the second episode that Steve Lund has kind of bluish eyes, but we'll pretend they're hazel for the sake of the story.)


End file.
